The crisp morning air billowed around Infineon in the dark of the early morning, and he suppressed a shiver. The path lay before him, lit by nothing but starlight and the very faint glow on the horizon, which told Infineon the sun was rising. The path itself was a thin, rocky, treacherous path, filled with eroding path edges and slippery boulders. The path clung close to the side of the mountain, and grew very steep at times as it wound its way around the mountain like a corkscrew. Nonetheless, Infineon’s destination had but one viable route, and it lay before him now; and so Infineon began the arduous climb.

As he climbed the steep path, Infineon reflected on the events of the night before, which had led him to be climbing this mountain. Upon entering the town at the base of the mountain, Infineon had spotted a flyer nailed to a wall, which advertised the view from the top of the mountain as both ‘spectacular’ and ‘good enough to make you believe in a God”. Intrigued, Infineon had inquired at the relevant building about the aforementioned view, and had been told that it was both something of a local tourist attraction, and also a natural shrine to Cuzco because of the view of daybreak one got from the top. Infineon felt an odd desire to climb the mountain, almost as if Zoltan had some plan for Infineon upon its summit. Therefore, Infineon made the appropriate arrangements, and made ready to climb the mountain the following morning, ready to face whatever challenge his God presented him with.

The going got easier at about the halfway mark, as the number of dangerous rocky stretches lessened as the summit approached. Caution was still required, however, as the path’s edge was treacherous in places, and one foot set in the wrong place could lead to a certainly lethal fall. Infineon saw now why there were so few people who made the trek on a regular basis, since each time the trip was taken, the climber would be putting quite a large amount of personal risk on themselves. However, Infineon did have to admit that even from halfway up, and still in twilight, the view from the mountain was incredible.

An hour later, and two hours since he started, Infineon found himself at the peak of the mountain just in time for the rising of the sun. The summit of the mountain was a huge piece of flat ground, of similar size to a large paddock, and was covered by small shrubs which grew on the hard, shallow ground. Dominating the centre of the summit was a large, deep pool of water, which shone a deep blue in the glow of the early morning. The roughly circular pool took up about a quarter of the space on the summit, and served as a stunning centrepiece for a truly beautiful view over the valley which Infineon could see spread out from the base of the mountain.

Infineon took all of this in as he sat for a second at the top of the path and caught his breath. He had just made it in time for the fabled rising of the sun, as he could see the corner of the sun’s disk just peeping over the horizon now. Levitas also arrived in time, swooping down from the heavens to land on Infineon’s shoulder just as he raised himself from the ground to go and see what was so divine about this sunrise that set it apart from any other. Infineon saw that one of the large, flat stones around the pool was worn down by the boots of many travellers, so Infineon decided to follow in their footsteps and watch the sunrise from there. His position on the rock placed the centre of the pool directly in line with the rising sun, and by chance Infineon had accidentally followed the instructions set out on the flyer below in the town, for it was from this rock that the true splendour of the sunrise could be seen. As the sun slowly hauled itself above the horizon and started its journey into the sky, its reflection could be seen moving up the pool of water, almost as if the sun was simultaneously rising in two directions at once. Not only this, but as the reflection of the sun moved closer and closer to the centre of the pool of water, it seemed to Infineon that the sun seemed to glow ever more bright, and sparkling tendrils of light seemed to emanate from its core, extending to the edge of the pool in faint rays. As the sun finally reached the centre of the pool, the whole pool seemed to sparkle and shine with a beautiful luminescence, lighting the area around with a diffuse, yellow glow that lasted only a moment or two before it was gone. Finally, the sun past the centre of the pool, and the reflection grew back to its regular size, the glow from the pool slowly fading away to nothing.

Humbled by the beauty of the spectacle, Infineon moved to the far side of the pool, away from the path, and began his daily devotions to Zoltan in a particularly thankful mood. Had it not been for Zoltan’s indication that Infineon should climb the mountain, Infineon almost certainly would have moved on through that small town without even realising that such a beautiful sight awaited him atop the mountain. Infineon also offered up a quick prayer of thanks to Cuzco for the majesty of this place; even though Infineon was not a follower of Cuzco, it never hurt to thank a deity of the pantheon for their work in the world. It was only as Infineon finished his devotions and prayers that Levitas softly hooted, indicating the presence of another person atop the mountain…----------Infineon is sitting on the opposite side of the pool to the path he came up, facing the other wayLevitas is perched on a shrub nearby, facing wherever you enter fromStress: 0 (1/4)

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"Little solace comes to those who grieve/When thoughts keep drifting, when walls keep shifting/And this great blue world of ours seems like a house of leaves/Moments before the wind." ~House of Leaves

Darkness and light began their daily routine of switching places just as she found space to lean her back against the rocky cliff and pause. Though the trek up the rocky path had been for the purpose of getting to the top to witness the sunrise from there, she would not waste the chance to see it now. The black fog of the night crawled away into the shadows of the mountain, the hills and plains that went on endlessly from her vantage point colored in deep greens and cloudy morning wisps of white. It was a slow ascent, hazel hues caught upon the lone cloud that showed her its shadowed side, a deep blue gray against the wash of blue and coral. Breathtaking in its simplicity of merely rising above the horizon, the beauty in it dropped her tense shoulders down and back, the relaxing glow crawling its way to her spot. Warmth washed itself over her form, a golden tint given to the otherwise bland colors of her armor and clothing. It was a welcoming feeling, even as the light pushed through her closed lids during her moment of silent contemplation.

Sutera had missed the promised grand sight of the sun rising from the summit, dew beading and dripping down her cheek. It had been a long walk for the woman but not one she considered a waste. The time to be by herself with her own thoughts was going to be more of a rarity now that she had found like-minded people to ally herself with, boots creating the quiet rhythm that echoed her calm heart.

It wasn’t until the samurai stepped onto the flat ground of the mountain and had her attention swept up by the soft noise of an animal across from her that she began to think of people other than the ghosts of those long since gone. Kemori’s face vanished from her mind, replaced by the emptiness of a stranger. An owl sat upon a shrub near a dark haired person, faintly probing her memory for anyone familiar. Unfortunately she was left with a blank, an unknown among the many she had met in her years. Though it had been some time since she’d met one alone, there was little to be done but stay quiet until some degree of attention was turned her way lest she interrupt whatever it was they were doing.

The leather of her armor whispered as she moved one step closer to the animal, one she suspected to belong to the stranger, though there was simply no telling. At the very least she knew it was not Nuncia in some form of hiding; the eyes just did not match the level of passion and fury. But it only began her thoughts of companionship, contemplation lingering over the idea of a pet of her own.

Infineon paused near the end of his devotion as Levitas indicated the entrance of an unknown person entering the mountaintop. Hearing no attempt from the stranger to converse, Infineon concluded his prayers before paying any heed to the stranger. After he had finished Infineon slowly stood and turned to face the stranger, picking up Artemis from where it lay on the ground in front of him as he did so. A golden haired lady stood on the other side of the pool from Infineon, clearly armed and dangerous, judging by the sword that she carried on her person. She had not uttered a word since she had made it to the mountain top, and seemed to be silently appraising the scene.

While Infineon tensed slightly at the presence of the warrior, he greeted the lady as warmly as he would greet any person who entered a holy place such as this. Infineon bowed and spoke, his voice easily carrying across the distance between himself and the stranger.

“Welcome to this holy shrine of Cuzco, the Blessed Lord of the Sun. You are unfortunate, since you have missed the glorious rising of the sun by a short while, however, your walk was not for naught, as the views from this place are still truly spectacular.

Allow me to introduce myself, I am Infineon, Avatar of Zoltan and founder of the Great Cathedral. It is a pleasure to meet you. Is there any specific reason you have come to this holy place, or is it simply that you wished to view the dawn?”

As Infineon spoke, he surreptitiously moved Artemis into a position where he would be more easily able to defend himself. While a surprise attack from the warrior across the clearing seemed unlikely, it wouldn't be the first time Infineon was attacked in a holy place. Nonetheless, Infineon would treat the stranger politely until the point where it came to blows; if indeed it would come to blows at all.---------------------Levitas instantly took flight from the bush when Infineon turned around to face the stranger. Levitas had been studying the lady the whole time, and had seen no aggressive movements towards Infineon, but it still never hurt to be too careful.

Levitas quickly gained altitude as Infineon introduced himself and was soon circling the battlefield at a height that made it difficult to simply see her, unless you were actively looked for her. While it wasn’t perfect conditions for a surprise attack, the glare of the sun in the early morning would more than make up for the ineffectiveness of any attack she might be called on to make, and the glare might even give Infineon a chance to attack in the moment of temporary disorientation from looking at the sun...---------------------Infineon stands on the other side of the pool, facing youLevitas circles the battlefield as decribedStress: 0 (2/4)

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"Little solace comes to those who grieve/When thoughts keep drifting, when walls keep shifting/And this great blue world of ours seems like a house of leaves/Moments before the wind." ~House of Leaves

The first impression of him she had as he hoisted himself up from the earth was that he was shorter, blue piercing eyes finding her own inquiring orbs as the first bit of kindness came from the high elf male in his speech. No, she did not know this elf. Though his words were to the point and carried no anger, he accomplished much in such a short amount of time. After meeting so many who held a well of anger inside their heart, it was enough of a surprise that she made no move, no sound at first. Introductions were finished and to such an extent that she was left floundering for some description of herself that would give him an idea of who she was, too. Faintly she recalled the manner in which she’d first introduced herself to Drakol years ago, but that clan was long since abandoned and forgotten; it would likely mean nothing to anyone but herself any longer.

“I’m Sutera Sasaki.”

It felt... inadequate, as if she were purposely demeaning herself because of some sense of modesty or lack of pride for her own abilities. But rather simply she felt it was sufficient. She was nothing but herself, no great accomplishments yet of her own to boast of and following nothing but her own yearning to find a home, someplace or someone with which to belong. If anything, this was less of a description of herself and more of a reason she was there.

“I’m here because I am supposed to be.” It sounded less ominous that way, less like she might have been following the pull of something larger than herself. Sutera would never consider herself a religious person in any way, and so she stayed away from the truth of what she felt and left it at her simple explanation. His weapon though cast her eyes downwards, thoughtful. The rays which stretched themselves from the colorful sky felt warm against her bared face and the scar beneath her right eye that had faded away to be barely noticeable. The conviction in her words steadied her, weight shifting until the soft curve of her hip moved to the side and her right gloved hand fell down to the hilt of her weapon. The movement was slow, cautious.

The cloak which covered him said nothing to her, nor did his weapon. He had uttered the name of a god, one she had barely any knowledge of, and so she continued to focus upon that which she could see and understand, hoping that through meeting this Infineon she would grow and come out of it with something worthwhile. But what that something was meant to be escaped her. Leading fights seemed so simple compared to leading conversation, the samurai not breaking the silence she’d fallen into after her short account.

The lithe female on the other side of the mountaintop spoke softly and simply, leaving more questions to be asked than she answered. Infineon turned the words over in his mind before replying. His first thought was that she might have been guided here by a god, hence the ‘supposed to be’. However, she did not observe the usual rites of a member of the Good or Neutral pantheons, and she did not seem insane enough to be a follower of the Evil Ones. Surely then, she must have been sent here by a human; though whether for good or evil, Infineon could not say.

“Meant to be here, you say. Why here of all places? I do hope you aren’t here to make an attempt on my life!”

Infineon spoke almost jokingly, but there was still an element of seriousness in his voice as he noticed Sutera’s hand moving to grasp the hilt of a weapon. From experience, he knew instinctively that this either meant that she felt threatened, or that she planned some form of physical harm; neither of which were appealing to Infineon.

Infineon heard Levitas take off from the bush beside him and noticed from the corner of his eye the speed at which she gained height; noting that his companion clearly did not trust the lady facing him. As Levitas took off, Infineon made up his mind about a course of action; it was better to be safe and humbled than incautious and dead. Infineon raised Artemis and pointed it at Sutera across the pool, his voice now far more serious than the almost jovial tone he had used earlier.

“You claim that you are meant to be here. In that case, I must know. Who sent you? What did you come here to do? And why are you drawing a blade against me?”------------From the moment Levitas had seen Sutera reach the summit, she had been watching closely for any signs of aggression. When she saw the hand of Sutera reach down to grasp the handle of a weapon, she immediately readied herself for combat. Hurling herself from the bush, she climbed quickly and was soon circling the battlefield. In this battle, however, she figured there was no need to fly high into the sky anyway, since there would be no element of surprise in this battle. Thus, Levitas circled the battlefield at a height of a very large tree, easily able to swiftly strike or intervene should Sutera make any attack on Infineon.-------------Infineon faces you from across the clearingLevitas can be assumed to be as easily detectable as a low-flying birdStress: 0 (3/4)

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"Little solace comes to those who grieve/When thoughts keep drifting, when walls keep shifting/And this great blue world of ours seems like a house of leaves/Moments before the wind." ~House of Leaves

How quickly things could change, emotions swaying listlessly to and fro before a mere gust of wind knocked them off the line of indecision. Tightrope artist the short elf was not, a once almost friendly sounding disposition vanishing to be replaced by suspicion and solemnity. It was not the course Sutera would’ve preferred, friendliness ranked higher than hostility, but it seemed he kept slipping down a slope of aggression once he started. Finally his questions came to a stop and his neediness for answers seemed to be satisfied, at least to a point where she was given time to respond. The samurai meant to, of course, but her attention lingered on the weapon he was now pointing at her. Indeed, how quickly things had escalated.

The leather of her glove moved against itself as the grip upon her hilt tightened, thoughts rolling around behind closed lips as she sought out among them what to say. Honor, not easily bridled, was pushed to the background as she first attempted to correct some of his misconceptions. It was here, though, she was meant to be. Fire and Earth had been found; Air and Water she still needed to seek, her mind trying to make sense of what this elf could symbolize.

“I follow my own path, one without coincidences. I come upon people. I test my strength against their’s. We both come out of it having learnt something. Occasionally I make friends.”

But she did not kill, and though her list of friends was short and had upon it less than popular people, namely Drakol, she hoped this one would realize she hadn’t drawn a weapon. This woman hadn’t attacked him when his back was to her and even now, the engraved hilt of her katana stayed sheathed at her thigh. Without the regular shadow of her bangs to darken her features because the sun shined upon her face, the raise of a golden brow at the end of her explanation was clearly seen, as was her unsure glance upwards towards the circling darkness of the bird.

The pristine golden glow of the sunrise painted the meeting with all sorts of oddness, giving the wide variety of foliage hues a warmth and outlining the male in the light. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized this gave him an advantage, but as she caught the sounds of far off wing beats against the air [Uncommon Hearing], Sutera acknowledged that her own attributes would come into play here until they were repositioned in the heat of battle.

“I follow my own path, one without coincidences. I come upon people. I test my strength against their’s. We both come out of it having learnt something. Occasionally I make friends.”

Infineon could have sighed with relief. While questions remained about this mysterious female, the most worrying of them seemed to be settled for the moment. To a commoner, the explanation given by the warrior across the clearing might seem a bit farfetched, but to Infineon it was just another story of another traveller; this story in particular being more believable than a lot of tales Infineon had heard from other wayfarers in his travels.

Noticing the lingering glances at his raised weapon, Infineon returned Artemis to his side in an attempt to tone the situation down after his almost abrupt escalation before replying to Sutera. Internally he was kicking himself for being so distrustful and chiding himself for his abrupt and intrusive questions. These foolish acts made even worse by the fact that he had performed them while in a sanctuary of a deity from another pantheon.

“You are a fellow wanderer of the wilds then? In that case, you have my apologies for raising my weapon against you in error; more than once I have come close to injury because of blind trust in a stranger.”

Infineon pondered his rash actions, and reflected on the foolish assumptions that he had made before he had even been properly introduced to this traveller. Upon reflection, the words of Sutera seemed to ring true, as even now Infineon had already learned something, and they hadn’t even sparred yet.

“From what you have said I understand that you test your strength against the people you meet in your wanderings. In that case, would you consent to test your skill against mine? I wield the power of Zoltan which grants me the magic of the tempest and skill with his divine weapons. I think I would be able to at least hold my ground against one such as yourself.”“What say you?”

With that, Infineon called forth a ball of swirling air around his open left hand and prepared his spells. If this mysterious traveller did accept his challenge, Infineon would be ready to strike as soon as the match started.-------------------Infineon and Levitas are basically the same as the last post. The ball of air Infineon is holding serves no practical purpose.Stress: 0 (4/4)

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"Little solace comes to those who grieve/When thoughts keep drifting, when walls keep shifting/And this great blue world of ours seems like a house of leaves/Moments before the wind." ~House of Leaves

Sutera weighed them, albeit briefly. Back down the mountain was always a possibility, one that lingered before her imperceptibly but most definitely there as an option. There was nothing there of this elf, however, that urged her to do so. Malice, arrogance, hatred; they did not seem to have yet made a hold upon him like others the warrior had come across in the past. This realization was most welcome after fighting against those who would’ve been the happiest with her death in the end. Atrin merely wanted her servitude, but still, was that not the same thing in the service of one such as him? Death of one’s morals, one’s standards. It chilled her to the core to think of his actions and words, ones that held more truth than she cared to admit. You're a weapon, a tool. Finely crafted and designed to strike down any before you.

But the sun warm upon her face, its brilliance promised her something else this round. There were other beings that existed not just for the sake of evil. Sutera hoped that this initial characterization of his intentions did not stray too far from the truth. As this optimism blossomed beneath the heavy leather armor that covered her chest, Infineon acted. His hand opened and, as if a current of wind was caught within a glass sphere, there was movement. There were no theatrics of the feat and it answered an earlier asked inquiry of his abilities. Where Atrin had tangoed with her across the dance floor with the heat of flame and Nuncia, one so akin to the earth, had chased her out of the wood; Sutera knew he was meant to fill in yet another element.

“I say yes.”

Air parted swiftly as the razor edged katana sliced past, her right arm finishing the movement she had started at the beginning of their meeting. It was a beautiful weapon, hazel hues drifting down and over it briefly as her hand gave it a twirl at her side. Panels of white that made up her over skirt shifted with the movement of her body, the subtle repositioning of herself from the time of making casual conversation to being more ready to test their skills against the other’s.

A moment of thought passed before her left hand pulled the metal sheath from the loops at her thigh, sunshine lingering over the engraved metal as it rest relaxed along her body. As she mentally reminded herself about the bird lingering above her head, Stella let her head nod in the elf’s direction. If he was already making assumptions about ‘one such as’ she, the warrior was fine with letting him believe she had no ranged capabilities for now, inviting him to make the first move.

The words carried across the mountain top, and immediately Infineon grinned; he had hoped for this response. As she spoke, Sutera grasped the hilt of her sword and unsheathed it with a flourish, the morning sun glinting off the beautiful folded steel that made up her katana’s blade. With almost an afterthought, Sutera also drew her sheath from her belt; the plain metal sheath almost as starkly beautiful as the blade itself in its own subtle way. Infineon had once or twice before fought a swordsman with the skill of wielding two blades, but was relatively alien to the concept and relished the understanding of the style that he would gain from this fight. Now ready to spar, Infineon’s opponent nodded to indicate that she would relinquish the honour of the first strike.

Ready as ever, Infineon responded immediately to Sutera’s nod, casting [Mach Gust] almost immediately from his hand by slashing his open left hand across his body and casting the gust right as it was aimed at Sutera’s face. The tactic employed by Infineon here was mostly distraction, as the barely visible Mach Gust would almost certainly make his opponent either flinch, dodge or block; allowing Infineon time to get into position. Even as he cast the spell, Infineon was already moving, running swiftly around the rock border of the pool towards Sutera. Infineon knew that he didn’t have long before the window of opportunity was gone, and his opponent would be able to easily attack with any ranged weapons she had hidden on her, but Infineon was also banking on some assistance from the skies to make sure of his safety as he closed the distance.--------------Infineon was right to trust to the skies, as Levitas was ready. Knowing that her master’s attack was only a distraction, she flew up in a loop, before swooping down in an almost parabolic arc that would take her behind Infineon’s opponent by about two metres. She had no intention of attacking this warrior until she knew something about the capabilities that she possessed, or was otherwise instructed by Infineon. Distractions, however, were par for the course. The dive bomb would pass through empty air, but from experience, the sound of the fast moving dive would put off someone who was not expecting it, or at least divide their attention for a moment as they ascertained that they were not under direct attack. Numerous times in the past, this diversion had allowed Infineon to get close enough to start properly wielding Artemis, where otherwise he might have been forced to stay at range. The other bonus to this method was that as she was not directly attacking something, Levitas could employ as much speed as she liked, making the diving owl almost impossible to hit as the sheer speed made it difficult for most people to even see her properly, let alone attack her.---------------Infineon is running towards you at the end of this post, and would be within striking range at the beginning of my next post assuming you don’t close the gapLevitas is basically flying low and fast behind you before pulling upStress: 1 (1/4)Mach Gust: 3/4 remain

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"Little solace comes to those who grieve/When thoughts keep drifting, when walls keep shifting/And this great blue world of ours seems like a house of leaves/Moments before the wind." ~House of Leaves

And so the last formalities were done, acquiescence given and without a breath of waiting there was a sudden flurry of movement on the mountaintop. The elf made two movements simultaneously: a movement of his left hand that had her reflexively shift so her right boot was back to brace herself while her left arm rose to protect her face, and he began to run. The tactic drug the line of her mouth taut, mind racing as to the reason. Muscles tensed and pulled as the leather covering her fingers flexed in reaction to the rush that pummeled against the cloth covering her forearm. At once it stung, the leftovers pushing the hair from her face and giving her a moment to take in his movements as her defensive arm quickly moved back down to her left side. It had all taken less time than it felt, but it was enough for a significant change on Infineon’s part.

In a move Sutera was unfamiliar with, she witnessed the elf making haste in getting close, even as his bird swept downwards. Though puzzling and to her advantage, since most casters didn’t want to be close to a katana, she merely chose to react accordingly as he came around the pool.

Twelve o’clock.

The sunlight was exquisite in its brightness as it shone upon the metal of her blade, footsteps rushing forward to dodge the fowl without delay. It further succeeded in closing the gap between the two, mind and ears taking note of the direction those wings carried off to, even as it moved behind in its arc. It would require more of her attention but it was nothing she was new to, remembering a Summoner years ago that had nearly done her in and the fight with Jaedin and his beloved wolf.[Blade Dancer’s Avatar + Uncommon Hearing]

Six o’clock.

Power tingled pleasantly at her fingertips, the Rain Camellia gathering energy in the few steps she took before the woman halted and swung her blade towards the elf’s chest before he could completely close the space. The quick stop of her momentum swung the white panels of her skirt around her legs, whispering locks of gold dancing with her movement. The light moved along the sword like an emptying gauge, the brightness leaving the end of her katana and shot in a beam towards the elf as he began coming straight for her. [Hikari Sori]_________________________Hikari Sori – 2x left

The mach gust had done its job as admirably as could be expected for such a spell. Sutera’s arm moved up to cover her face, screening Infineon’s movements from her momentarily. In the time that it took Infineon to get most of the way around the pool, the stream of air had crossed the distance and hit Sutera’s upraised arm; the force of the spell transferring into her arm while the air flowed on by to ruffle her hair in its wake.

Completely un-phased, Sutera moved into a combat style the likes of which Infineon had not seen. She seemed completely aware of every facet of her surroundings, even as she moved forwards to dodge the distraction created by Levitas. In fact, save for the cursory steps to dodge, very little attention at all seemed to have been given to Levitas; not even the slightest waver of concentration that Infineon could have taken advantage of.

The footsteps towards Infineon clearly had another purpose, as the shining blade of Sutera’s katana was levelled with Infineon’s chest as he moved towards her. Reflexively, Infineon brought the haft of Artemis up in a diagonal defensive stance across his body such that the bladed end rested in his right hand; able to parry or block in a moment’s notice. Just as Infineon was almost in striking distance, the blade of the katana seemed to shine with a pale light, causing Infineon to tense in preparation to dodge some sort of physical attack. To Infineon’s surprise, instead of any sort of strike that could have been directed, the light that shone on the blade looked like it was sucked out of the end of the sword, forming a beam of light that was aimed directly at Infineon’s chest.

Moving quickly with the experience of many encounters before, Infineon moved his right arm so that the beam of light would hit the haft of Artemis right below where he held it with his hand. This meant that there would be the least chance of any damage occurring to the weapon, as any kinetic force would flow smoothly through Infineon’s arm, rather than through the wood of the weapon. Infineon only just managed to move the staff in time before the beam of light hit directly into the wood with an audible thud, the force of the strike shuddering through Infineon’s braced right arm making him grunt in surprise as the force from the spell arrested some of his momentum. However, while the force exerted by the spell slowed Infineon down somewhat, it was nowhere near enough to knock him around [Dead Weight], and certainly not enough to stop Infineon taking the final steps which brought him into range of his opponent.

As Infineon moved to attack, he took stock of the situation. He had gone into this fight with the expectation that he would be fighting a stock-standard, sword wielding warrior of some skill. What he had not bargained on was the fact that this samurai standing before him had the ability to cast spells, which changed Infineon’s outlook on the battle since even being at range held no guarantee of safety now. The spell that she had cast had been only a moderate display of power, and the hexagrammic wards on Artemis had even managed to resist any damage to the façade of the weapon at all. However, the nonchalance with which Sutera had cast the spell left Infineon uneasy as to her full capabilities.

Even though Infineon was unsure about the capabilities of the warrior before him, the only option open to him was to press on with his attack. As such, Infineon moved into range and slid his hands swiftly into a more aggressive stance as his momentum carried him forwards. When Infineon judged that the distance was small enough, he swung Artemis around with all the force of his momentum behind it, twisting his right shoulder around to put the full force of his upper back into the strike as well. The slash that Infineon used was an almost horizontal slash that was aimed just below Sutera’s left shoulder, and aimed to slash down and across towards her right elbow. The benefit of this striking method was that since the force was being applied predominately by the hand high on the staff, it left Infineon’s left hand sitting easy on the haft of Artemis, allowing it to move quickly around to block any counter-attack that Infineon could predict.------------Infineon is (naturally, to make the attack) about half the length of Artemis away from you, still moving towards you but slowing down.Levitas has continued circling.Stress: 1 (2/4)Mach Gust: 3/4 remain

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"Little solace comes to those who grieve/When thoughts keep drifting, when walls keep shifting/And this great blue world of ours seems like a house of leaves/Moments before the wind." ~House of Leaves